1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of chemical etching of images on garments and supplementing the image through unique garment image creation practices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following eleven patents and publication patent applications are relevant to the field of the present invention.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,860 issued to Giordano Aggio on Aug. 21, 1984 for “Method For Producing Etched Patterns on Textile Fabrics” (hereafter the “Aggio Patent”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,395 issued to Brent J. Kisha et al. on Apr. 5, 2005 for “Method of Making An Applique” (hereafter the “Kisha Patent”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 7,435,264 issued to Mark Kiff on Oct. 14, 2008 for “Sculptured And Etched Textile Having Shade Contrast Corresponding To Surface Etched Regions” (hereafter the “Kiff Patent”);
4. United States Published Patent Application No. 2009/0025123 to Paul Weedlun et al. on Jan. 29, 2009 for “Digital Printed Applique Emblem” (hereafter the “'0025123 Weedlun Published Patent Application”);
5. United States Published Patent Application No. 2009/0061173 to I-Hung Liao et al. on Mar. 5, 2009 for “Manufacturing Method of Fabrics with Colored Stereoscopic Patterns and Fabrics Manufactured Therefrom” (hereafter the “Liao Published Patent Application”);
6. United States Published Patent Application No. 2011/0008618 to Paul Weedlun on Jan. 13, 2011 for “Applique Having Dual Color Effect By Laser Engraving” (hereafter the “'0008618 Weedlun Published Patent Application”);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 7,947,357 issued to Walter G. Bauer et al. on May 24, 2011 for “Method For Placing Indicia On Nonwoven Material And Articles Therefrom” (hereafter the “Bauer Patent”);
8. Japanese Patent No. JP2006219809 issued to Takuya Suchiro et al. on Aug. 24, 2006 for “Method for Producing Cloth On Which Three-Dimensional Pattern Is Formed” (hereafter the “Suchiro Japanese Patent”);
9. Japanese Patent No. WO20070419710 issued to Masahiko Sakai et al. on May 3, 2007 for “Opal-Finished Fabric” (hereafter the “Sakai Japanese Patent”);
10. Japanese Patent No. WO2007072587 issued to Hiroshi Uchibori et al. on Jun. 28, 2007 for “Process For Producing Cloth or Cloth Product” (hereafter the “Uchibori Japanese Patent”);
11. European Patent No. EP 1905888 issued to Paolo Lenzi on Apr. 2, 2008 for “Printing Process on Textile Products Made of Cotton, Other Natural Cellulosic Fibers And Mixed Thereof, And Textile Products Thus Obtained” (hereafter the “Lenzi European Patent”).
The Aggio Patent discloses the concept of etching a design into a garment. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “A method of chemically etching textile fabrics having a weave of cotton fibers and polyester or nylon fibers to produce etched patterns is disclosed. According to the method, areas of the textile fabric are treated with a chemical composition which is reactive with the cotton fibers but not with the polyester or nylon fibers. The treated textile fabric is then heated to dry the chemical composition on the fabric to prevent distribution of the chemical into untreated fabric areas. Heat and pressure is then applied to the fabric to cause the chemical composition to react with and dissolve or otherwise destroy the cotton fibers. After press-heating, the treated textile fabric is washed to remove the cotton and chemical composition from the fabric, leaving the polyester or nylon fibers intact to produce the desired etched pattern. An article of manufacture having a substrate and chemical composition disposed thereon can also be positioned on the fabric. Application of heat and pressure in a heat transfer machine causes the chemical composition to destroy the cotton fibers to produce the desired etched pattern.”        
The Krisha Patent discloses an applique for applying a fabric pattern to an objet. The applique comprises a laminate having an outer periphery to define a first predetermined shape corresponding to the fabric pattern and has etches formed adjacent the periphery to simulate an appearance of stitching.
In one embodiment, the laminate comprises a top fabric layer and a bottom fabric layer. The periphery of the bottom fabric layer corresponds to the outer periphery of the applique. The top fabric layer is a strip heat sealed to the bottom layer adjacent the letter's outer periphery and has etches formed thereon so that the top fabric layer simulates the appearance of stitching.
In another embodiment, the laminate comprises a top fabric layer and a bottom fabric layer, wherein the top fabric layer has a second predetermined shape and is heat sealed to the bottom fabric layer. The top fabric layer is disposed inward from the outer periphery of the bottom fabric layer. The bottom fabric layer has a first predetermined shape and has etches formed thereon adjacent the outer periphery thereby simulating the appearance of stitching.
The Kiff Patent discloses a pattern for having a color contrast between portions of a garment. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “A textile is disclosed having regions of color contrast and corresponding regions of sculptured three-dimensional surface geometry. Furthermore, one or more methods of making such a textile also are disclosed. The textile includes a first side having first regions and second regions in a predetermined pattern. The first and second regions differ in color shade values due to the etching of the textile, which has the effect of degrading or dissolving fiber material from the second regions, thereby providing a three-dimensional sculpted geometry and a color contrast between etched and non-etched areas. Screen printing is applied using an extremely strong acidic or alkali composition paste upon the textile, followed by heating. Then, a washing step and a drying step results in a product having a color shade difference between etched areas and non-etched areas having differing .DELTA.L* color shade values using L*a*b* color space measurement techniques.”        
This patent discloses the concept of etching the image into the garment to a chemical treatment process.
The '0025123 Weedlun Published Patent Application discloses a digital printed applique emblem process. Specifically, the published application discloses:                “According to the present invention, the above-described and other objects are accomplished by a product and process for applying digitally printed applique indicia which is capable of being adhered to a garment or other article by a pressure sensitive or thermal activated adhesive and, when so secured, gives the appearance of a multicolored graphical design that can simulate stitched designs or layered textile embellishment. The production process for digitally printed applique emblems as described above begins with (1) a design phase by which a distinct image file is digitally created using raster imaging software (for newly generated artwork) or is derived from a pre-established design by scanning or the like. In either case the image file preferably incorporates both printed image elements (text, numbers and/or logo) as well as engraving elements and/or cutting elements (one skilled in the art should understand that separate files may be created for these separate elements. Design phase (1) is followed by (2) a separation phase in which (according to the preferred method) the cutting elements from the raster file are isolated and converted into a vector cut file(s) to optimize cutting speed; and (3) a printing phase by which the raster image file is input into a digital printer which translates the pixel color values of the raster image file to obtain the optimal color match for driving a digital printer based on the ink dye set used by that particular printer. The digital printer then precisely applies the ink droplets to a fabric substrate and thermally sets the ink (and optionally post treats to improve fastness properties).”        
The Liao Published Patent Application discloses a manufacturing method of fabrics with colored stereoscopic patterns and fabrics manufactured therefrom. The published application discloses:                “The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a fabric with colored stereoscopic patterns which comprises providing a fabric having a man-made fiber layer and a natural fiber layer; analyzing the colors of the desired patterns to be printed through color separation, providing a printing board for each color, and printing the desired colored patterns on the natural fiber layer and printing an etching agent on an area outside the colored patterns on the natural fiber layer via the printing boards; and etching the area on the natural fiber layer that is printed with the etching agent, and then removing the etched area of the natural fiber layer without etching the man-made fiber layer, so as to form the colored stereoscopic patterns woven by the natural fibers on the man-made fiber layer.”        
The '0008618 Weedlun Published Patent Application has the same disclosures as previously discussed with some additional disclosures. Further, referring to FIG. 3, the published application discloses:                “Upper textile layer 10 is printed with a design element (screen printing is presently preferred); upper textile layer 10 bearing the ink design element 12 on top is laminated on its underside to a base layer 20; the underside of the base layer 20 is coated with the laminating layer 30; digitally-controlled Galvanometric laser cutting and engraving.”        
The Bauer Patent discloses a method for placing indicia on nonwoven materials and articles therefrom. Specifically, the patent discloses a method for making an indicia on a nonwoven article constructed from a nonwoven substrate having a first surface and an opposite-facing second surface. The method includes the following steps: defining an indicia area on the article at a predetermined location; disposing a first blocking sheet on the substrate second surface so that it coincides with the indicia area; forming an indicia group by disposing a contrast sheet onto the first blocking sheet such that the first blocking sheet is between the contrast sheet and the indicia area; and melting together the substrate with the indicia group between a hammer device and an anvil bearing an indicia pattern.”
The Suchiro Japanese Patent discloses a method for producing cloth on which three-dimensional pattern is formed. The patent discloses:                “PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a cloth on which a fine three-dimensional pattern is formed, by clearly separating a fiber discharge processed area from an unprocessed area of fiber discharge around the processed area, independently of a kind of a fiber used in the cloth, a fineness of the fiber, a fineness of yarn, a manner in which the yarn is twisted, and a procedure in which the cloth is woven or knitted.; SOLUTION: This method for producing the cloth on which the three-dimensional pattern is formed includes a process for furnishing the fiber discharge processed area of the cloth with an ink containing an alkaline fiber discharging agent by means of an inkjet system and a process for furnishing an area other than the fiber discharge processed area with an ink containing a salt of which the pH is 3.0 to 8.0 when dissolved in water by means of the inkjet system.”        
The Sakai Japanese Patent discloses an opal-finished fabric. The patent discloses:                “The invention provides an opal-finished fabric with a pattern having three-dimensional feelings which is rich in the expression of color in both burnt-out and non-burnt-out portions and exhibits satisfactory strength in burnt-out portions even when the fabric is a thin fabric having highly see-through burnt-out portions, that is, an opal-finished fabric which is made from two or more kinds of fibers and which is constituted of both see-through burnt-out portions formed by the removal of at least one of the fibers and non-burnt-out portions, wherein the burnt-out portions are made mainly of a nylon fiber and the non-burnt-out portions are made mainly of a colored polyester fiber and a non-colored nylon fiber. It is preferable that the non-burnt-out portions be constituted of both a layer made mainly of a polyester fiber and a layer made mainly of a nylon fiber. Further, the strechability of the fabric can be enhanced either by incorporating a polyurethane fiber into the fabric or by making the fabric by knitting in atlas or two needle stitch texture.”        
The Uchibori Japanese Patent discloses a process for producing cloth or cloth product. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “In a process for producing a cloth or cloth product decorated by one or two or more fixed decorative cloth pieces, there is proposed a technique that in the employment of the method of fixing to a cloth a decorative cloth consisting of another type of cloth and thereafter conducting cutting of the decorative cloth into decorative cloth pieces of given pattern, not only reduces working labor and time but also realizes beautifully cutting into decorative cloth pieces. There are carried out the steps of joining by adhesive or sewing decorative cloth (12) larger than decorative cloth pieces (12a 12a) to cloth or cloth product constituting decoration object cloth (11) at parts of the decoration object cloth (11) for fixing of the decorative cloth pieces (12a 12a) so that their texture directions are approximately orthogonal to each other; applying etchant (14) capable of etching the decorative cloth (12) to the decorative cloth (12) along the peripheral configuration (L) of the decorative cloth pieces (12a 12a) outside the same; and removing parts of decorative cloth pieces (12a) having the etchant (14) applied thereto.”        
The European Patent discloses a printing process on textile products made of cotton, other natural cellulosic fibers and mixed thereof, and textile products thus obtained. The patent discloses:                “The process according to the invention consists in applying a printing paste containing high concentrations of strong alkali and moisture conditioning agents on a substrate in cotton or other natural cellulosic fibers and mixed thereof. The paste is applied through a printing matrix on which there is formed a certain pattern, and the substrate immediately undergoes a drying step at medium-low temperature and a steaming step, whereby the printing pattern becomes reproduced on the textile substrate by mercerized areas (due to the strong alkali) and non mercerized areas separated by well defined and clear borders.”        